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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · cap · wind · bore · last · board · ball · cue

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bore — to drill
  3. last — final
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bound — certain
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — finally
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. last — to go on
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bore — to tire
  23. board — a committee
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com